Gulp! It’s war: 7-11 throws "Grand Slam" to Two Buck Chuck

November 5, 2:39 PMWine ExaminerStacie Hunt

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Yosemite Road set to go gulp-to-gulp with Two Buck Chuck

7-Eleven

On the heels of the announcement that Amazon.com has quaffed its plans for selling wine, enters 7-11, offering up a challenge to Charles Shaw (affectionately known as Two Buck Chuck) with its global debut of Yosemite Road, California Chardonnay and Cabernet.

Bottle price will be $3.99 and is listed as a “limited edition,” likely meaning that when this lot runs out, there will be another “limited edition”. It’s an honest way of informing the consumer that the next wine will ultimately come from different vineyards and locations and won’t taste exactly the same – so don’t get too used to it.

Value priced wines, meaning those around the $5.00 mark are gaining in popularity (duh) and it’s a shrewd move for 7-11 to join the fray. This also puts wine at around the same price as what Joe Six-Pak pays for beer and may shift some consumers into the world of wine.

This also marks the first foray into the global marketplace for the convenience behemoth. According to their announcement the debut will be simultaneous in 15,000 of its US-based stores as well as Ito-Yokado super and hyper markets, York Benimaru supermarkets in north Japan, Shell Garden grocery, Denny’s Family Restaurants, department stores Seibu and Sogo, outlets that along with SEI and SEJ are subsidiaries of Seven & i, a $57.6 billion corporation.

Annual combined wine sales of $173 million made setting up meetings for a deal pretty easy. The company tapped privately held The Wine Group and their in-house winemakers John Willumson, a master sourcer of grapes, and Jim McDonald to create a cuvee that would have convenient seasonal and taste appeal for the hurried and harried “run in and grab a bottle for tonight” shopper.

The Chardonnay is described as fresh and zesty with peach and honey notes. The Cab is said to have juicy, plum overtones. Neither is described as a “dry” wine, which may be on purpose, as fruitier wines are also more popular for entry level and in this price category.

For more info:  All of this news has led this columnist into announcing a new weekly subject:
Tuesday Night Wine. Each Tuesday, a value-priced wine will be discussed along with suggested food and music pairings. 
 

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